Introduction

[Susan Elaine Antlitz]

Sorry for those of you who have already read this.  Just helping out with
the archive.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 19:38:45 -0600 (CST)
From: Susan Elaine Antlitz <musea2 at uxa.ecn.bgu.edu>
To: The Discourse Studies List <DISCOURS at linguist.ldc.upenn.edu>
Subject: Greetings


Greetings all.

I am currently enthralled with completing an MA in Composition at Western
Illinois University and plan to enroll in a PhD program next fall in order
to continue my joyous explorations in written discourse (I'm not certain
exactly *where* I'll be continuing my studies, however.)  Yes, by way of a
more personal introduction, I tend to make little attempt to hide my
enthusiasm. I work hard, and so I express myself fairly freely as well- in
fact, I find the diverse faces we can wear in various types of discourse
to be an interesting subject in itself. My thesis work involves examining
the electronic discourse of freshman writing students.

Recently, I was inspired to write about the way the field of English
celebrates its relevance to contemporary culture.  In my journal I
wrote the following:

	It is impossible to underscore too lightly the profound influence
	of words; were they not of vast significance, all together
	powerful as a primary force in both the preservation and
	generation of the societies (realities) we live in and move
	through, the twin fields of literature and composition would not
	exist.  Though perhaps "words" as a field of study are not always
	understood or deemed practical, they have have contributed vastly
	to the fabric of daily life. . . . Words form an intricate and
	intimate aspect of both [the study of words and society itself.]
	If we do not understand our words, we inevitably will fail to
	understand ourselves and the world as we encounter it through the
	language(s) of our society(ies).

My understanding of language and its relationship to society has been
heavily influenced by Kenneth Burke's concept of "terministic screens" as
well as the other implications of language he mentions in _Language as
Symbolic Action_.

Even though "discourse" can easily be conceived of as primarily verbal, I
also believe that pictorial and gestural elements are key components
in a definition of discourse- along with any social customs, psychological
perceptions, spiritual understandings, or other culturally shared
referents, perspectives, associations, or knowledge.  As a result, I am
very pleased with the creation of this list because I feel that any
in-depth study of Discourse is well suited to an interdisciplinary
approach.


I look forward to all of you being a part of my first steps into this
intriguing and significant area of study.


Susan Antlitz
M.A. Candidate, Writing
Western Illinois University